CHINO >> Thousands are expected to attend the annual Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Jalsa Salana West Coast Convention this weekend.

The three-day convention will begin with the regular sermon and prayer at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at the Baitul Hameed Mosque, 11941 Ramona Ave., Chino.

Multiple sessions are scheduled that will discuss the Life of the Holy Prophet, fulfilling the role of wife and mother, self-reformation, and a presentation from female converts on what attracted them to Islam and how they convey the message of Islam to others.

“Some have come from England and Canada, and from other part of the world, but mostly the people are from the West Coast, East Coast and Midwest,” said Imam Shamashad Nasir.

This will be the 28th time the mosque has hosted the convention.

The convention originated in Qadian, India in 1891 by the founder of the community Promised Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

That first convention drew 75 people, and on the second day the food coordinator went to the founder and said there is no money to feed the people.

“So (Promised Messiah) said, ‘Go to my wife and take her jewelry, sell it, and buy food for these 75 people,’ ” said Nasir.

The annual convention will include a special session by the Ahmadiya Ladies auxiliary for ladies interested in learning more about Islam from a woman’s perspective from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Anyone interested in learning about Islam, the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad can attend a special public session from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday .

Other speeches during the convention include treasures of the Holy Quran, high moral excellences of Prophet Muhammad and contributions of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Ahmadi Muslims believe that the Second Coming of Christ has already happened. They believe their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the Imam Mahdi for the Muslims and the spiritual return of Jesus in the same manner that John the Baptist was the spiritual return of Elijah as explained by Jesus in the New Testament, Matt.17:12-13.

To read or download the Convention (Jalsa) program, go to www.Ahmadiyya.us/wcjs and click on JALSA PROGRAM. For more information about attending the three-day event, the special women’s session Saturday morning, or the special public session Saturday afternoon, contact the Baitul Hameed Mosque at 909-627-2252 or Imam Shamshad at 909-636-8332 or Shamshadanasir@gmail.com.

The main website for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is www.Alislam.org